Industry News

Texas Woman's University has awarded Vaughn Construction of Houston a $27.7-million contract to construct its new Houston campus at the Texas Medical Center. Construction is slated to begin on the 10-story, 202,000-sf TWU facility in early 2006. Housing conference and seminar rooms, video conferencing and distance learning facilities, several 120-seat lecture halls, and a 250-seat auditorium, the new campus will more than double the university's enrollment to approximately 3,000 students.

Webster University in St. Louis is planning to invest $15 million to construct two new residence halls. Completion is expected by fall of 2006. The first 64,400-sf freshman dormitory would house 198 beds. The second 35,400-sf upperclassmen dormitory would house 112 beds. The architect for the project is Mackey Mitchell & Associates.

Camino Medical Group is planning to construct a 250,000-sf outpatient medical center on nine acres in Mountain View, Calif. In January 2005, the closed Emporium department store that occupies the site will be razed and construction will begin. Completion is expected in 2007. The three-story center will house medical offices, an outpatient surgery center, labs, diagnostic radiology, and a pharmacy.

On November 29, 2004, the California Public Library Construction and Renovation Board awarded public library construction grants for a total of $80,588,293 to 12 library projects. The three largest grants included $13,961,277 to the Castro Valley Library, $14,900,075 to the  Fontana Library & Resource Technology Center, and $11,880,531 to the Lafayette Library & Learning Center.

Community Hospital North, part of Indiana's Community Health Network, has awarded the design contract for its new 850,000-sf expansion in Indianapolis to the Dallas office of RTKL. Groundbreaking was held recently for the $170-million construction project, which is expected to reach completion in early 2007.